Maximum Ride: A Break
by Delilah's Garnet
Summary: The flock takes a break from saving the world. Even on vacation, they can't get away from drama. A wee bit of Faxness. First fanific ever!
1. Fang, A Dream

Maximum Ride : The Extras

Max woke up crying.

She had been for five days now, and every time, Fang closed his eyes to slits so she wouldn't be embarrassed. Each time, she would grimace, putting her hands over her face, and suck in a deep breath. He could tell she was having bad dreams – it was obvious. But he also knew Max never cried, not ever, unless something incredibly unbearable was happening. Max would never forgive herself if someone saw her crying over a _dream._ So he pretended to sleep.

Sometimes Max would get up and creep out the door, twirling around the trees in magnificent flight. Once, he followed her out. Max was sitting in the top of a big oak tree and crying. Seeing her like that…well, it almost made Fang cry. But he didn't, of course.

Fang pulled himself from his reminiscence and got up. Max had already crept out the door and was now flying around the giant trees surrounding the motel parking lot. Her hair was whipping around her frightened face, making her look like a ghost.

Fang tiptoed closer to the window. The rough carpet of the motel floor felt cold under his feet. The smell of air fresheners the flock had sprayed earlier to get rid of the smoky "essence" still lingered in the air. Fang gently lifted the curtain and stared at Max. She was so graceful, twisting and turning through the branches of the scarce trees lining the highway.

No! No, he couldn't think of her like that. She was his sister, his friend. Max didn't want him, she'd made that clear. Fang would just have to accept it. They would never truly be together.

Just then, Max looked at him.


	2. Max, A Dream

I was the indestructible Max

I was the indestructible Max.

Emphasis on was.

I rubbed my eyes and sniffled. Stupid dream. I'd been having the same one, with slight alterations, all week. And the last five days, I'd been crying over it.

In my dream, I was holding Angel, having one of the best flock moments I could imagine. We were all together in my mom's house, laughing about something – I never know what. We were safe and together.

Yes, that is the best flock moment I can imagine. When you're a mutant bird kid with five other mutants and two dogs to take care of, you don't hope for much more than that.

Anyways, we were all together. Then Angel looks at me and says,

"Someone's coming."

Hundreds of erasers pour in, filling the room. They cage us in dog crates and start kicking us. Then the Red- Haired Wonder walks in.

As if that isn't bad enough.

Turns out she's an eraser. She takes the flock, and, one by one, she pulls out a feather. She goes to the next one, pulls out a feather. Pulls out a feather. Pulls out a feather. I start crying. My flock doesn't have any wings. I can't describe the excruciating pain to watch them losing their wings, their freedom. Even in my mind.

Then, to complete my nightmare, she looks at me and says,

"You should have taken him while you could,"

_and_ _kisses Fang._

I mean, I don't think I have feelings for Fang. I don't even know anymore. I just know it hurts, plain hurts, when I see him with anyone else. It's like he's stabbed me, and…doesn't care. And with this dream, I don't know anymore. I'm just confused.

So every night, I creep out the door and fly until I know it's not real, know Fang wouldn't do that. But something keeps haunting me.

_He already has. _


	3. Max, Suspicion

_Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys. Don't worry, I won't hold my chapters hostage for reviews :)_

Chapter 3

I flew through the trees, feeling like someone was watching me. Paranoid much? Probably. Oh well. It may be a pain, but it saved me countless times. I wasn't going to stop now.

I glanced around. With my raptor vision, if something was there, I would see it.

For a second, I thought I saw Fang in the window of our motel room. But he vanished. I looked a little longer, then decided it was my imagination. But just to be safe, I put on my expressionless face on and landed in a big oak. I swallowed. It was hard not to cry when you felt so miserable. But the amazing Max could do it.

I looked back over at the window. If Fang really was there, I was going to die of embarrassment. I got ready to speed back to the motel. If he was there, he wouldn't have time to pretend otherwise. I wasn't leaving that possibility open.

I opened my wings fully, then took off. It was less than two seconds before I landed precariously on the railing, jumped down, and opened the door. And standing over the flock, looking like a deer in headlights, was Fang.


	4. Fang, An Awkward Conversation

_Note: See? The chapters are getting a little longer! If you want me to combine my chapters ( like, with point of view switch I'll just put "Fang's POV"), I will. Just tack it onto your review. Five reviews from different people and I will! Thanks for reading!_

Chapter 4

Fang swallowed. Oh, great. Now Max knew he had seen her. He was standing over his makeshift bed, a second away from being off the hook. He realized how incriminating he looked, then spoke up.

"Uh, hey," he whispered. Max stared up at him as if she were scared of him, of what he knew. She looked down, at a loss for words. Fang's expression softened.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked lamely. Max looked back up at him.

"Yeah." she replied.

Fang stared at her in shock. Max never wanted to talk about stuff like this. He motioned toward the door with his head and she nodded.

When they were safely out of range of the others, Fang spoke up.

"So…what's up?" Max looked at him and his heart melted.

He refroze it.

He shouldn't like Max. He couldn't.

"I just need to know something." Max said. Her voice was hoarse from crying. Fang looked at her with listening eyes. After a couple of minutes, Fang tilted his head.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she croaked, looking at her sneakers.

"Max…" Fang put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. Her eyes shone in the moonlight. He wanted to put her head on his shoulder and let her cry. He could see she needed to cry. But she was invincible Max. Invincible Max didn't cry five times in one week. Especially when someone is watching.

" I –" she began, when Nudge came outside.


	5. Nudge, Oops

Nudge saw them immediately. Max and Fang, sitting together in the branches of a large oak tree. They were looking into each other's eyes, Max looking like she was about to cry.

_Oops._

Nudge felt her mouth make an 'o'. Did she just walk in on them about to kiss? She whipped around quickly and went back inside. As she closed the door, she heard the faint "whoosh" of wings unfolding. She practically crashed into her bed, waking the flock. Iggy's head sprang up, used to midnight invasions.

"Shh, put your head down, quick," Nudge hissed, but the door opened. Iggy kept his sleeping act, thinking they were being attacked, but the Gasman and Angel were looking around, wondering what woke them.

"Nudge," Max's voice floated across the room. "You don't have to pretend to be asleep, we know you saw us."

Nudge opened an eye. Fang was glaring at Max as if to say 'You might as well shout it out to the world.' It was true, Iggy and Gazzy had already caught on, and Angel was staring at Max, obviously reading her mind.

Max looked at all of us and clapped her hands.

"Okay, lets catch some z's!"


	6. Max, Piggly Wiggly

_Note: I've decided I'm going to combine my chapters without your votes! Mwahahahaha! Only in some places, though. There will still be short chapters, of course. Please, please, PLEASE review. Thanks! _

Chapter 6

When I woke up, everyone was acting strangely.

When I woke up, everyone was acting strangely. Gazzy constantly looked at me or Fang, seeing if we were looking at each other. Angel was kind of quiet, the way she is when she's doing major mind reading. Nudge, like Angel, was also being silent (for once). The only person acting even somewhat remotely normal was Iggy – except for when either Fang or I spoke. He would sort of twitch and go back to whatever he was doing.

I sighed and looked at Fang. He was completely emotionless, the way he usually is.

_Wow, Fang,_ I thought, _Thanks for all the help._

"So, what are we doing today, Max?" Iggy asked, breaking the silence. I looked around. Everyone looked a bit frazzled from the night before, but, other than that, fine.

"I though we might take a little break today. You know, have some fun."

Normally, the flock would look up in shock, wondering who I was and where Max went. But this was our little vacation. It began a week ago, when I had started getting the nightmare. Now, instead of shocked faces, I got smiling ones, glad that our excursion was going on at least one more day.

"Where are we going?" Gazzy asked, face glowing.

"We've already been everywhere in this area," Nudge pointed out. "I mean, like, everywhere."

"Yeah," Iggy agreed. "The only place we haven't been is the Piggly-Wiggly across the street." He paused sarcastically. "Oh wait, we _have_ been there."

I rolled my eyes and told Iggy, "I'm rolling my eyes, Iggy." He grinned.

At least someone was acting normal today.


	7. Max, A Forest

_Note: I've been putting up a lot of chapters. Pretty, pretty, pretty please - review! Thanksies!_

**Disclaimer: I'm not James Patterson, nor the owner of Maximum Ride. This is fan fiction ; I have not stolen the story. I have , however, stolen the idea of putting up a diclaimer on my story :) **

Chapter 7

In the end, we just decided to laze around in a forty-square-acre forest. We all kind of floated around, looking at all the cool plants and stuff. It was amazing, in all the many times we've been in forests, we never actually _looked _at one. Vines crawled up giant pines, purple berries sprouted from thorny bushes. It was beautiful.

After about five minutes, I was bored.

Everyone looked like they were having a blast. I just didn't understand it. I mean, it's a bunch of plants all squished together so tight you can hardly walk through it. Wow. Woohoo. Great.

Now, up in the trees, that's different. The wind is beating against you, and you sway with the flow. But being down here? Ugh. You might as well throw a bunch of prickly plants in a blender and dump them in one spot.

As I was wondering if my hatred of forests had anything to do with all the bad things that happened to me in them, Fang crept up behind me.

"Hey," he said right behind my head. I jumped a little, but passed it off as straightening up.

"Yo," I said, turning around. No one was looking over at us, and most of the flock had wandered off. It still felt weird, being around Fang alone. Especially after he had kissed me. I didn't know how to treat him. Like a friend? A brother? Or more than that?

"So…" Fang started, looking at me.

"Yep," I answered without either of us knowing what to say.

"Max, it's okay," Fang said quietly. I looked at him, surprised. What was okay? What did he mean? Suddenly everything was quiet. The hairs on my neck stood up. Every sound was magnified. I could hear every leaf rustling, every pine needle crunch underfoot.

Something was wrong.


	8. Fang, A Scream

Ch

Ch. 8

Fang heard a scream.

_Nudge._

Before Fang had even registered anything Max was running in the direction of the scream.

And, man, was she fast.

Max unfolded her wings, using them as a boost, but not completely flying. She was like a bullet, shooting through the underbrush of the forest. Fang followed after her, using the same technique. Thorny branches cut at his arms and face. Wind whistled in his ears. By the time Fang caught up with Max, she was standing in a clearing, puzzled. Footprints covered the wet ground. Fang didn't see why this was so confusing. A bunch of people obviously took Nudge. They need to follow the tracks and…..

Fang froze. These were all Nudge's footprints. They all had the same stripes and slashes as her sneakers- even a little smiling face in the middle. They were scattered all over, not going in any particular direction.

"Nudge!" Max yelled. "NUDGE!!"

"Max!" a voice came, sounding small but very close. "Help, Max!"

"Nudge, where are you?" Max yelled, confused.

"I-" Nudge began, but she began crying. "I don't know," she managed to get out between sobs. As Max padded around in the muddy field, Fang looked around. He didn't see Nudge, and her voice actually seemed to be coming from under them. The more Nudge sobbed, the more Fang was sure she was under him. He caught Max's eye and motioned her over.

"Listen," Fang pointed down. Understanding dawned on Max's face. She dropped to the ground and called out

"Nudge, sweetie? Can you describe where you are?" Nudge's muffled sobs slowed and she answered a pitiful "Yes". Max nodded and leaned closer to the ground, her hair getting muddy.

"It's really, really dark and I can't see anything and it feels all dirty and like I'm in the ground or something." Nudge sounded like she was about to cry again. Max moved a little to the left and Fang dropped down next to her.

Max pointed down and made a little digging motion with her hands. Fang raised his eyebrows and made an "eww" face. He could tell she was surprised to see him show emotion. He gave a little smile and started pawing through the mud.


	9. Nudge, Max, A Confession

_Note: A review! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!_

Ch. 9 / Nudge

Nudge cried.

It wasn't very abnormal for her to cry. She was probably the person who cried the most in the flock. But this was definitely cry-worthy.

Nudge had no idea where she was. It felt like she was in a tiny cavity surrounded by dirt. She could hear Max above her, but she sounded distant, far away.

It had barely been two minutes, but Nudge felt like she was going to go insane. She and the flock are naturally claustrophobic. Elevators creep them out, nevermind a tiny, dark, cell in the middle of nowhere.

Nudge's thoughts were interrupted by a sound. There it was again. It sounded like someone dancing in muck. Slowly the sound became somehow – drier would be the only word to explain it. Then Max's voice.

"Hang on, Nudge."

Hope filled Nudge's heart. She knew Max would come for her. She always did. Even when Nudge would mess up big time, Max would still come for her. She was the one person Nudge could always count on, no matter what.

The sound came surprisingly close. Then, all of a sudden, _whoosh_, and the ceiling of her cell was torn off, flooding light into it. Dirt rained on her head, making Nudge grimace. Had she really been underground this whole time?

Max looked down at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly, obviously worried.

"Yeah," Nudge answered, relieved to see Max. "Where am I?" Max looked at Fang, and Nudge realized he was there for the first time.

"Nudge, you're three feet underground."

_Note: See? Chapter combining! By the way, I've already written out a bunch of chapters, so sorry if not much has been happening. It's my first fanfic, so please be easy! :p_

Chapter 10/ Max

After we got Nudge out of the hole, everyone was pushed back to the motel, without even an explanation. When we were all inside, I made a well-thought out, wordy speech.

"Okay, guys, let's roll!" The Gasman's eyes pleaded with me.

"Are we still on break?" he asked, eyes little round plates. It thought about it a minute and made a tiny frown.

"I guess, but we have to keep an eye o-" The rest of my conditions were drowned out by the flock's cheering. I looked over at Fang. He shrugged dand stepped away from the wall.

"Nudge," Fang said, "Maybe you should tell us what happened back there." Nudge looked at Fang, then me, and sighed.

"Well, I was thinking about something when everything got slippery and it felt like the world was tilting. So I kept on sliding around that place and suddenly I felt like I was falling and everything went black and I was underground." Nudge sucked in a deep breath. "So, yeah." She looked uncomfortable. I rethought what she said and asked,

"Were you doing anything before that?" Nudge shifted her feet.

"No." I looked at her. She was dreading something, I could tell.

"What were you thinking about?" Nudge looked up at me suddenly, then put her head down again.

"Mflelutr" she mumbled. I raised my eyebrows. Why was she avoiding this?

"What?"

"I was thinking about you and Fang kissing!" she shouted.


	10. Fang, A Misunderstanding

_Note: It took all day, but now I have a super update! Chapters 8, 9, 10,and 11 are up :)_

Ch.11

Fang's eyes shot open. What did Nudge say? Kissing? Fang glanced over at Max and saw her cheeks flare up. He felt his own heat up a little, but he kept a – mostly - expressionless face. Well, this was awkward. So it was up to Iggy to save the day. Yeah, right.

"Awk-ward," Iggy sang in the famous tune. "I think I'm gonna go get some air." He practically ran out the door.

"Me too," the Gasman agreed. Angel followed soundlessly. It was just Max and Nudge now.

"Nudge, sweetie," Max began, "We weren't kissing. We were just talking about some stuff that's been bothering us, that's all." Nudge gazed up into her eyes. Then she looked at Fang.

"Uhm…" Nudge started, but Fang took the hint and held up his ands to say 'I won't listen' and walked away. The room was tiny, so the only place to go was outside.

_With all the others._

What fun.

Fang closed the door behind him. Everyone was gathered in a loose circle, chatting. When they heard the door snap shut, they stopped talking and looked at him. Fang started walking in the other direction of the outdoor hallway, but Iggy called out to him.

"Hey," Iggy ran up to him and they turned a corner. "You may not know this, but I'm blind, so I'm inclined to ask you what's happening." He put his hands on his hips. "So?"

Fang glared at him.

"You know perfectly well what's happening." He said darkly. Iggy looked taken aback, but he pressed forward.

"Not really. When your only sources are a six year old, and eight year old, and a random comment from Nudge, you don't really know what's going on."

Fang breathed in.

"Nudge saw me and Max together in a tree, talking about stuff, and she thought we were about to kiss. That's all."

Iggy's eyes widened.

"That's ALL? That's major, dude!" Fang looked at him, confused.

"What's major?" Iggy tilted his head.

"Well, were you? About to kiss?" Fang thought about it, then decided not.

"No." Iggy's face fell, then lightened back up, obviously trying to hide his disappointment.

"Why do you care?" Fang asked sharply, eyebrows bunched together. Iggy looked down, then grinned.

"Thought I was gonna be a best man." Fang hit him on the head, then Max came outside with Nudge and told everyone to get ready to leave.


	11. Refueling, Eavesdropping

_Note: Her ye, hear ye - no Niggy! hides under table while being bombarded with stuff Sorry!_

Ch.12_ Refueling_

We left after we had a late lunch, then flew south. At about five, we stopped for a break at a gas station. I handed everyone five bucks and counted up the remaining money. There was about two hundred left. Fang and I would have to go scout some more out soon.

As soon as I handed out the money, everyone darted away, leaving Fang and I alone. The familiar smell of dirty tile and gasoline floated over the entire store, making my nose crinkle. It reminded me of being on the run. Not my best memories.

I quickly sensed Fang looking at me, and I pretended to be interested in a row of different flavored chips. He didn't say anything, so I moved away into the next isle.

I heard pattering feet, and I looked up. Nudge was standing near me, holding an assortment of chips, nuts, seeds, and a bag of Funyans.

"Hay, Max?" Nudge asked quietly. It sounded like she wanted something. Maybe an extra dollar for her Funyans.

"Yes?" I answered, wary of every movement around me. After all the things that happened to me in gas stations, there was no way I was gonna relax. I realized how much I said that about things.

"Could we maybe see a movie? Like, in a movie theater?" She gave me Bambi eyes and I sighed.

"There's a reason we haven't been to the movies, Nudge. It's dark and full of people and something could sneak up on us while we're watching or something."

She shook her head.

"But I've thought about that. We could go see a movie that isn't popular, right? Then there wouldn't be anybody there! And we could sit in the back, against a wall, so no one could sneak up on us. And we could buy Coke and popcorn with salt on it so we could throw it at anyone that came near us and blind them." I almost cracked up at the last one.

"I'll think about it." I answered, already knowing we were going to go.

Ch.13 _Eavesdropping_

Iggy nodded his head to the music.

_Na na na na na – na na na na na - naaa naaa._

The flock was outside a gas station ,up in the trees, eating the food they had just gotten. Iggy had already gotten all of the food he had bought and was now enjoying the full feeling, listening to his iPod.

Why didn't he listen to his iPod while he was flying, when he had nothing else to do? Multiple reasons. Max had banned flying with an iPod due to the unfortunate mishap of Gazzy _dropping his iPod_ when they were flying over a city. Yeah, real smart Gazzy. Drop your iPod over thousands of people – it's okay, no one'll notice.

Reason numero dos – It's tempting, but Iggy wasn't sure if he wanted to take part of the lovely awkwardness following this morning. Tempting- but no.

Gazzy shook his hand.

"Hey, Iggy," he could hear faintly over the music. "Max and Fang are together over there. Tell me what they're saying." Suddenly Iggy was much less annoyed and much more curious.

He tugged out his earphones and listened. Since Iggy was blind, all of his other senses were heightened. Which meant he could hear things the rest of the flock couldn't.

Iggy sat completely still, aware the rest of the flock was waiting to hear his report.

Words like 'flock', 'Fang', and 'know' hovered around to his ears. Suddenly he could hear them.

"Fang," Max was saying, "have any ideas?" Fang's voice answered.

"No…" Max sighed and said something like "Nudge…movies…popcorn and they'll go blind…." Then both of them laughed.

Iggy smiled. He liked it when they laughed. Especially together. It was so rare for either of them to laugh, and, when they did, it was like nothing was wrong in the world.

Fang said "Okay" and he heard them coming back.

"What happened?" Gazzy asked eagerly. Iggy turned his head towards him.

"They were talking about the movies and they started laughing." Iggy was still smiling goofily, then realized it and wiped it off his face.

He heard Nudge say "Yes!" and whisper to everyone

"I think we're going to the movies, everyone."

Iggy heard Max land on a nearby branch and say

"We're going to the movies, everyone."

The whole flock burst out laughing.

_Note: That crazy flock. I guess they have a different sort of humour. Yeah, I know, it wasn't funny. Thanksies for the reviews. I've been trying to update every day now and sometimes a few chapters a day. Woooh! Do I see drama up ahead? I-I...I think I do! :)_


	12. LoveyDovey

_Note: This chapter is short, I'm just updating before I go to sleep._

Ch.14 _Lovey-Dovey_

I looked around nervously. People were _everywhere._ Shouldn't these people be in their movies? Why were they all in the lobby?

My eyes darted around, cataloguing exits and escape routes. I hadn't expected it to be this packed. I also didn't know Friday was their busiest day. But I signed up for it, so here we were.

It was pleasantly warm in the lobby. The popcorn smell wafted over to us, making the flock's eyes go big, even me. I trotted over to the popcorn line and told Fang to take the younger kids and Iggy to the movie before it started. He nodded, and within a minute, I was all alone.

Soon I was at the front of the line. I studied the sign above the worker's heads.

"Okay, I want three jumbo buckets of popcorn, six large Cokes, three packs of those, those chocolate things down there," I waved my finger at a pack of candy. "And two of whatever candy is your favorite." I smiled at the girl with faux friendliness. She smiled back unsurely and started getting everything together.

Let me tell you, people at the movies are _not_ patient. After about thirty seconds, I started hearing gradually increasing grumbles and huffs behind me. By the time the popcorn lady got my order together, people were muttering to themselves angrily and glaring at me. I ignored them and carried my large order carefully to the movie.

Nudge was right. There were three other people in this movie besides us. And you know what? There was a reason.

The movie was about a talking dog (yes, I know, the irony) that was dropped off by his owner at some relative's house because they were moving and couldn't bring him. So the dog makes this trek across the country and goes back to his owner and his mom magically decided, well, they can keep him _now, _because he followed them. I think I lost IQ points during that movies.

The whole time, Fang and I were checking around, really jumpy. Even with Nudge's great popcorn- blind intruder plan, yes.

But even with all my nervousness, I could see how people were all lovey-dovey at the movies. The lights are dark, and the screen dazzles like a big diamond. I looked over at Fang and locked my gaze onto him. I wanted to put my head on his shoulder and go to sleep. He sensed me staring at him and looked over at me questioningly, eyes worried but tired. I sucked in a deep breath, and became even more tired. Fang's eyes widened, and I was almost scared, but not awake enough to be. Before I drifted off into unconsciousness, I saw Fang shake my shoulders and say "sleeping gas".

_Note: Ooh, scary. Cliffhanger, I know. :Holds up piece of cardboard: Will write 4 reviews! (Just kidding!)_


	13. Movie Date

_Note: I think I'm gonna take a little break afer this ch. I'm putting up more chapters than I'm making, and since I don't want to be rushed, I usually keep ahead quite a few chapters in my notebook than on here (I write the chapters down in my notebook first). Yeah, so until I get a little more inspriration from something, chapter- put- up rate might be much slower. Just letting you know ; ) _

Ch. 15 _Movie Date_

Fang glanced at the flock. Iggy and Max had already fainted, and Angel and the Gasman were looking woozy. Nudge had understood and was holding her breath, already trying to pick Iggy up out of his seat.

Fang whispered Gazzy and Angel's names and motioned for them to hold their breath. They nodded and stated helping Nudge.

As Fang was clumsily picking Max up, he sincerely hoped this would not be how they were not going to be caught. After everything that had happened, they might be captured in a movie about a dog that could talk (no offense to any talking dogs (Total) out there). He imagined the scientists at the School's reactions.

_Yes, they were procured at a movie._

_A movie?_

_Yes, about a talking dog._

_Well, this is interesting. This may have to do with the fact they own a talking dog and are attached deeply to it. They might be satisfying their loneliness by seeing a movie about a dog. Or, maybe, they worship dogs, a natural predator to the bird. We'll have to run some tests… _

Fang pulled himself out of his overactive imagination. It might have been a little humorous normally, but this was definitely NOT the time. The smaller flock members had a hold on Iggy, and everyone was quietly making their way to the little glowing exit sign in the front of the theater. Halfway down the aisle, Fang realized how suspicious it would look for a bunch of kids to be carrying two seemingly dead bodies outside. He sighed, embarrassed, and put Max's arm around him and his around her. Now it looked like they were a couple.

Nudge wasn't near as tall as Iggy, so she sort of did the same thing, but needed the younger kids to support him too. It looked weird, but the flock managed to get outside without being noticed. They hurried across the pavement and into the little strip of trees offering semi darkness on the outskirts of the theater. Everyone collapsed there, worn out.

Fang eyed everyone. It felt wrong, being in charge, even though Max was still there.

"Everyone okay?" Gazzy and Angel nodded and Nudge said "Yeah." All of a sudden, Gazzy's eyes went wide and he started digging though his pack. Fang did a 360. What was wrong? Did erasers finally show up?

Gazzy pulled something about the size of a soccer ball out of his backpack and threw it as far as he could in the other direction.

"What was that?" Fang asked incredulously. He could have sworn that was –

"A sleeping bomb," Gazzy said quietly. "Iggy made one last night. Musta activated when I accidentally kicked my pack." Fang put his hand on his forehead.

"Max said not to - " he started, but Gazzy interrupted

"I know, I know!" sounding uncharacteristically his age. "But we thought since that weird thing happened to Nudge, we should have one, just in case."

Fang checked Max and Iggy, laying sprawled on the ground.

"How long will it last?" he asked grimly, accepting his fate. Gazzy cringed and carefully said

"About two hours," He saw the look on Fang's face and added "but Iggy's gaining immunity on it, 'cause he's been working with it so much. He might be awake after an hour." Fang sighed and wiped sweat away from his forehead.

"Okay. Anyone know a safe place where we can wait for them to wake up?" Nudge started biting on her fingernail.

"I saw a hotel down the street. It looked expensive, though." Fang locked his gaze onto Max. She looked so beautiful not, you know, angry at him. And right now, he was the only one who could take care of her.

"North or south?" he asked Nudge without looking up.

"North," He could hear surprise in her voice. "Are we gonna fly there?" Fang crouched next to the unconscious flock leader a second more, then got up. It was tempting, but without Max or Iggy, there was no way.

"No. We're going to have to walk it." He looked at Nudge and determined her probable strength. Max was lighter than Iggy… it'd probably be best if they took her. But there were three of them and one of him. He might not be able to carry Iggy by himself, but Max…

_Yeah, right, _Inner Fang said, _You just want to carry Max._

Fang shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"I think you three should take Iggy." Then, leaving no time for them to argue, he quickly continued, "It'd probably be easier if you carried him horizontally. Nudge, you take his back, Gazzy, his legs, Angel, his head." Angel gave him a quick look like 'I know your secret' and gave a barely perceptible smile. Fang shook his head and hissed "_Angel!_" but she just turned away and started helping the others.

Fang looked down at Max, his own cargo.

"Gazzy, is there any chance they'll wake up earlier," Gazzy was already frowning. "Like a bird kid thing?" Fang finished.

"Nope, tested it on Iggy." He grinned, trying to be tough, Max's little soldier.

"Mmmm." Fang picked Max up gently and draped her over his shoulder, tugging on her legs to keep her there. She kept slipping whenever he moved, so he put one arm on her back and one around her legs. His arms were asleep after about five minutes, but, other than that, it was very effective. The younger flock members were not having such a good time with their body.

Nudge would sometimes sag, dragging the back of Iggy's jeans in the mud. Gazzy's hands slipped, coating one foot in a layer of pure slime. Angel didn't have too many problems with her small part, except she kept stopping to adjust her grip. All in all, it probably took about five times as long to get there as it should have. But, hey, Fang wasn't complaining.

Out of the blue, Max said,

"Nope!" Fang squinted at her, eyes still closed, still asleep, then looked at the Gasman. He blushed.

"Yeah, and there's a side effect." Fang waited silently.

"They sleeptalk."


	14. Confessions of a Teenage Sleeptalker

_Note: Okay, I wrote this whole big note and it DISAPPEARED!! I am so angry :) Basically what I said was thank you soooo much for the reviews, and to LuckySox (ooh, I love your stories, you guys should check them out) - I'm terrible at not-awkwardness, and I love the obliviousness, and there will be a wee tiny mini winny bit of not obliviousness in the FAR future. I'm also desperately trying to keep the character not OOC, and they're pretty oblivious in the books too. Kinda. Sorta. Not really, but I like the awkwardness, so there :D . Oh! Almost forgot. Said I was inspired again and I'm putting up a few chapters and that I just realized I put my character in an _**interesting **_(coughidontknowhowtogetoutofit) situation. I try not backtrack, ever since my sister told me about how she once had one of her characters throw himself out a window and then she realized she didn't know how to get out of it. So she wrote a bunch of different ways to get out of it, and I haven't really taken the easy way out since. You should try it. It definitely makes the story more _**interesting **_(evil grin)._

_It was something along those lines, but with much more reviewer thanks and stuff. So...thanks!_

Ch.16 _Confessions of a Teenage Sleeptalker_

Amazingly enough, they got through the whole check-in phase without a life-threatening accident or major media showing up. Nudge was a little worried about Max and Iggy, but Gazzy said they'd be fine.

_I sure hope so,_ Nudge thought, _and I hope they stop sleeptalking._

It was not to be.

As soon as the door snapped shut, Max started blabbing.

"Hey, you!" Max cried out. Nudge whipped around. Was she talking to her? Fang was kneeled on the floor next to Max, looking at her.

"Don't pay attention to her, Nudge, she's sleeptalking." Nudge bit her lip. It was really creepy, Max sleeptalking. Almost like she was there and wasn't at the same time.

"Hey," Max continued. "Stop. Stop it. Get away from them! Get AWAY!" Max was screaming now, her face full of pure rage.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" she yelled, louder. Fang's eyes got wide. Max was going to get them caught. Angel looked scared. She ran over and covered Max's mouth with her hand. It barely muffled her.

"Shhh…" Angel cooed. "Nothing's hurting us. We're fine. We're having lunch. And I'm holding Celeste. And Total's here, instead of off back at your Mom's house. And Fang…" Angel glanced up at Fang and stopped talking, closing her eyes.

Max's cries got quieter and quieter, until eventually she was just mumbling something about how good her cookies tasted.

Angel sighed and rocked back on her heels.

"Max was thinking terrible things," she said, eyes still closed. "People caged us. And some gril with read hair was ripping out our wings. She was wearing the uniform from our school in Virginia. It was a nightmare."

Angel's eyes popped open and she stared at Fang.

"Fang! That -" she began when he apparently sent her a thought. Angel mouthed 'sorry' and looked back at Max.

"I don't want to mess with Max's thoughts anymore. It's…scary." Angel waited for a nod from Fang, then crawled into bed.

Nudge sat on the mustard yellow chair a minute longer, then got up and kneeled by Fang and Max. Max was still mumbling, and Fang was still staring at her. When Nudge got his close, she could hear what Max was saying.

"Hey, Fang." Max smiled. "That's a really cool trick." Then she frowned. "What are you doing? Don't, don't -" Then she smiled again. "Yeah, I know you wouldn't do that."

"Hey, Iggy?" Max called across the room. "Cook some eggs. Nudge, pour the juice. Gazzy, get the plates. Iggy, those are blue eggs, don't use them, they're poisoned. Use the green ones." Just then, Iggy spoke up.

"My green eggs are ugly. I don't want to use them." Nudge stared at Iggy. Did he just answer Max?

"Iggy," Max said groggily, "I don't like that." Then, as if she were talking to her, Max said,

"It's okay, Nudge, it's okay. Fang won't leave us again, he promised." She paused a minute, as if listening to the Nudge in her dream. "I know he left us before, but…no, Nudge, no, he -" Max sucked in a deep breath. "Fang? No…no! Don't leave!" Max whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek, only to have its course changed by gravity. Fang silently got up and walked over to tuck Angel in. Then, where no one, not even Nudge, who was sitting right next to her, could hear, Max whispered, "I love you too, Fang."

_Note: Don't get too exited, guys. This was her subconscious. She can't even admit it to herself, let alone to him!_


	15. Green Eggs and Ham

_Note: I cannot express the inexplicable bliss of the consequence of reviews._

Ch.17_ Green Eggs and Ham_

Iggy woke up first, like Gazzy predicted. Fang was by his side in an instant, making sure he was really awake and not sleep talking.

When Iggy first woke up, he sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked sleepily.

"Sleeping bomb went off." Fang answered. Iggy bobbed his head.

"Oops."

"Yeah," Fang whispered. "And Max got hit by it too." Iggy's eyes widened.

"Double oops."

"Try explaining that to Max when she wakes up." Fang grinned. "Good luck."

When Iggy was fully up and awake, he sat down by Max and listened to her incessant rambling. Every once in a while he'd smile, signaling Fang that everything was okay. He was the only thing that kept Fang from going over there himself.

That was saying something, especially after what Max had said before. She was having nightmares. _About him leaving._

Fang would never admit it, not even under torture, not even to Max, but he did too.

Ch.18_ Green Eggs and Ham for the Teenage Soul_

Everything was fuzzy, like I was on Valium.

My eyes shot open. If I was on Valium I wouldn't let myself say something like…_before._ I rechecked my mental status and decided I wasn't woozy enough. I just felt tired.

"Max?" Nudge's voice floated across the room, coming from everywhere at once. Then everything became clear. I was in a hotel, a nice one, surrounded by my flock.

"Yeah?" I asked, surprised by my own voice. Nudge cleared her throat.

"Gazzy set off a sleeping bomb." She looked somewhere out of my range of vision. "On accident." she added.

"Anyone hurt?" I asked quickly, suddenly worried. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. Angel was sleeping, but, other than that, everyone was right by me.

"How long?" I asked, yawning.

"Two hours and ten minutes." A voice said from somewhere. Gazzy.

"Oh." I replied, yawning again.

"Passed out during the movie," Fang said from nearby. I looked over at him, slouched on the foot of the bed, but with a steady eye on me, and suddenly felt embarrassed.

"S'okay." Iggy said to my left. I peered over at him. He was smiling grimly. "I passed out too, and I was the one who made the stupid thing."

"Oh." I repeated, closing my eyes.

"Do you remember anything?" Nudge asked. I thought about it a minute.

"I think I had a nightmare. And then…a good dream." I pointed at Fang. "You were flying upside down." He looked a mixture of amused and relieved. I eased myself back down. "And for some reason, I really want some green eggs."

_Note: Is it just me, or are Fang and Max totally OOC? Bah, I have no idea. _


	16. Of Bets and Bathing Suits

_Note: Yes, I realize a lot of the stuff in the next few chapters is contradictory to the books. But that's okay :) Uhm, and to xXxElianexXx, thanks for the heads up! And thanks for reviewing! Also, I doubt there'll be any actual Lissa in this particular story. Maybe something about her dream, but no actual walking talking red hair gawking wonder... This isn't my favorite chapter or anything, I assure you, so I'm pretty sure it'll get better :D Read on, my friends, read on!! _

Ch.19 _Majority Rules_

Everyone slept late the next day, due to everything that happened the night before. It was about three o' clock when everyone was actually functioning. Somewhat. Even then, we had a slow start.

"Okay, guys, what do you want to do today?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Go back to sleep?" Iggy mumbled, yawning. I glared at him. It was ineffectual.

"I second that motion." Gazzy agreed. I glared at him as well. It worked a surprising amount more on someone who wasn't blind.

"Swim." Nudge's voice sounded strong, yet delicate. It was odd.

"Swim?" I echoed. Unless she knew a way to make our wings invisible, we couldn't wear suck bear-backed clothing out in public. Plus, after Nudge's last _great_ idea, I wasn't sure I wanted to take any more chances.

"Don't you think people would notice something a little – odd?" I asked her.

"We didn't even pack our bathing suits." I continued, "And there's nowhere for us to go where people won't notice us." I drew back quickly, hoping she wouldn't bring it up again.

Nudge bit her fingernail and murmured "Mmm…" in thought.

"Anyone else?" I asked, eager to get away from that subject. Swimming always made me antsy. You can't fly well when your wings are wet. Sure, it's fun, but usually there is some sort of backup plan, an escape route, a…a…

"I like Nudge's idea." Angel said. I looked at her worriedly. "Maybe we could find a place no one goes to. And we could buy new bathing suits."

"Yeah!" Gazzy chimed in.

"Gazzy and Angel were the only ones who had swimsuits to begin with anyway." Nudge added oh-so-helpfully. I looked at Iggy and Fang, my only chances. Iggy looked a little exited, if not hopeful. And Fang just glanced at me and shrugged.

I was defeated by majority. "Okay. We can go."

Ch. 20 _Of Bathing Suits and Bets_

First stop, Wal-mart. _Always low prices._

"Twenty bucks!" I looked down at the price tag again. The price was still there – nineteen ninety five.

Nudge was holding a pink two piece with flowery, girly designs on it. When she showed it to me, I almost puked. It was exactly everything I hated. Well, not everything. It could have been a dress.

And I made the mistake of looking into her puppy dog eyes.

"I'll see if the boys have any leftover money for you." I had given everyone ten bucks to buy a bathing suit of their choice. And so far, everyone but me had gotten something.

I trotted over to the "Boy's Swimming Section" and ignored all the surprised looks. I spotted Fang waiting outside the dressing rooms in dark black and blue swimming trunks. What a surprise.

He smirked when he saw me coming over.

"You're not supposed to be here." He said. I raised both of my eyebrows and tilted my head to the side.

"Yes, because things like boundaries stop me _all_ the time." I smiled at him and a glint of amusement showed in his otherwise emotionless face.

"Have any money left?" I continued. "Nudge wants something expensive and - " I trailed off mid sentence. Iggy walked out of a dressing room wearing hot pink and orange trunks, smiling.

"Wow," Iggy said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This is really comfortable." I stared at him, mouth open for quite a while, I think. I can't be sure; I lost all sense of time in that horrifying minute.

"IGGY?" He looked over in the direction of my voice and ran back into the dressing room that, no doubt, Gazzy was snickering in. I seriously considered banning bets. I sighed and turned back to Fang, who suppressing a smile and failing horribly at it. He handed me the leftovers of all the boys' money, and I walked back over to the girl's section, still stunned.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nudge and I (she apparently has a say in all of my clothing choices now) picked out a cross-over topped pastel-ish green two piece with shorts. I couldn't help but feel vulnerable and weak in it.

Especially when Fang came over.

_Note: Yes, they're OOC characters, but they're MY OOC characters. So I love them anyway :-J_


	17. Paparazzi

_Note: To Give Up Your Prejudices, I wish I would have thought of that before. Actually, I think that might happen. Just later. Think like 20 chapters later. Maybe. Instead something else is going to happen in this chapter. (Mwahahahaha). Umm, Total is at Max's mom's house. He,uh, wanted to stay with Akila? (coughcoughIforgottoputhiminthestorysoImadeupthisreallybadexcuseandhopedyouwouldn'tnotice Um, cough?) Also something - notice that no one ever told Max she was sleeptalking. All she remembered was that she had dreams. So, yah. Anyways... _

Ch.21 _Excluded with Fear_

Flying never gets old, no matter how many times I do it.

Birds cry from far away, and the smell of gasoline is refreshingly devoid up this high. I have to tell you, it was really uncomfortable flying in a bathing suit. But unless I wanted to change when we got there, _in front of everyone,_ or in midair, also in_ front of everyone, _I had to fly with it on.

Because our bathing suits were not three sizes too small, most of the flock had to hold them up. It's not something you take into consideration while shopping for a bathing suit, but, boy, does it matter. Just a note in case you ever grow wings.

By the time we got the swimming hole we had scouted out earlier, most of us were bedraggled and too tired to swim.

Ten minutes later, everyone but me was swimming. Iggy and Fang were in the deeper side, Fang whispering inaudible things to Iggy. Nudge was floating on her back near the rocky bank of the shallow end, while Gasser was getting ready to cannonball near her. Angel was underwater, taking advantage of one of her many abilities. And I, being the baby that I was, was sitting on the rocks, afraid to go in.

It wasn't that I was afraid of water or anything. It was what it would do to me. When my wings get wet, I can't fly like I normally can. When I can't fly, I can't escape. It's more of a paranoia thing, really.

I looked over at Fang. _He _was fine. He was even showing Iggy how to use his wings as a boost through the water. Why couldn't I do it? I yawned and stared up into the bright, blue sky. There wasn't a lot I wouldn't give to be up there right now instead of down here, unable to bring myself to jump in. I sucked in a deep breath through my nose and a thought crossed my mind. How has Fang and the others gotten both me and Iggy to a hotel? He didn't…

Nudge called out to me. "Max?" she looked over at me questioningly. "Will you come here?" She was near the shallow end, so I raised my eyebrows and got up. As I started walking over there, she shook her head, showering water droplets from her hair everywhere. "No, I mean swim." My heart stopped. Everyone was looking at me.

"Uh," I started, but Nudges saw my face.

"Nevermind, I thought I saw something but it was nothing." One glance at her, and I could tell she was lying. She had wanted to see if I would do it. She had noticed.

Well, that's just great.

Ch.22 _Paparazzi _

Nudge looked at Max. She had battled Erasers, flyboys, minions, mutants, and the person responsible for the plan to kill half of the earth – _and won._ But she was afraid of water. Nudge didn't get it.

Her thought were interrupted by none other than Max.

"Um," she said, looking around wildly. "I'm gonna go take a walk." She turned around and fast-walked away until Nudge couldn't see her. The flock floated in silence. Angel spoke up.

"Max _hates_ the forest." She said. "I'm gonna go talk to her." Fang's eyes darted quickly to Angel.

"Maybe she just needs some time alone, Angel." She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned.

"I read her mind. She's not even afraid of water. It think _I_ should talk to her." They both just stood there, staring at each other. Nudge wondered which would blink first.

Then Iggy whispered Fang's name and he floated over to him. He whispered something in Fang's ear and Fang made a subtle signal that meant 'be on guard.' Barely a second after, a man with a camera jumped out from behind a tree and snapped a picture of them.

_Note: I am perfectly aware that Max is being a drama queen. This is on purpose, it comes in lateeeee...I mean, uh, nevermind._


	18. Flee, Dizzy

_Note: Low on inspiration. Please refuel at the next stop._

Ch. 23 _Flee_

Fang looked at the man quickly, memorizing his face. He jumped out of the pool, picked up a backpack, and started running. He heard the rest of the flock follow his example, dodging thorny bushes and sharp rocks.

Fang stopped in a clearing and looked around. They couldn't fly out; their wings were wet. Max wasn't here – or anywhere in sight for that matter – and everyone was a little drained from the swim.

Great.

Ch. 24 _Dizzy_

I listened to the wind whistling in my ears. I was flying, trying to will myself to believe they didn't notice. I had been in water plenty of times, even where they had seen. But it was times when I needed to. Or times when there was an escape plan B.

_Or when we weren't constantly running for our lives._

I clenched my teeth and headed back down. Couldn't have them thinking I was a crybaby too, now could I? Plus my arm was tired from holding my bathing suit up.

I circled around once over the clearing I had just left. I landed hard on the dirt, making me wince with pain. Looking around, all I saw were wet splotches heading off into the forest. I suddenly became much lees worried about my reputation.

"Hey, look, there's another one!" a man's voice called. I turned around to see a guy with a camera.

I narrowed my eyes and marched over to him. The guy's eyes got wide, as if he didn't expect me to be able to respond.

"Hey!" I yelled at him, extremely annoyed. Who did this guy think he was? "What was that about?"

"Uh, I - " he began, but I cut him off.

"Did you just chase of my fl – friends?" I asked. I could already see the answer in his eyes.

"M-hm," I put as much steel in my voice as possible. "Yeah, well the next time you feel like photographing us like animals for the National Geographic, think again." I took the arm he was holding his camera in and twisted it hard, making the man drop his camera. He cried out in pain.

I bit my lip. Maybe that was a little harsh.

I turned around quickly, taking a running start to the edge of the woods. I unfolding my wings and lifted into the air, feeling the freedom that comes immediately with it. Something pricked at my leg, but I didn't pay attention to it.

I flew up over the trees my flock had escaped into. A few times I thought I saw one of them, but each time I swooped down, there was only a somewhat resembling plant.

My little prick felt like it was getting swollen, so I decided to check it out. In mid-air, of course. Mutant bird kids get amazingly good at stuff like that.

I peered down and squinted. There was a tiny dart in my calf. I snatched it out, feeling a jolt of pain ricochet through my leg. Turning it over carefully, my eye caught some miniscule print.

ANIMAL TRANQUILIZER

My mouth fell open. The guy had shot me with a tranquilizer. _A tranquilizer! _Like an animal!I lowered my altitude quickly, realizing they probably used this stuff on lions, and I might pass out any minute. But before I reached the ground, I felt like I was wobbling.

_This is getting stale._

The thought bounced around in my head, and eventually it just lost its meaning. I was thinking the phrase without knowing what it meant.

_Oh great. Not again._

Only twenty feet from the ground, I sensed myself falling.


	19. Get off the computer doofus face

_Note: WRITER'S BLOCK!! Argh!! Hey, uh, suggestions are totally welcome. Maybe even needed. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what to do, so if something doesn't come up soon, you may be facing a fanfiction shortage on my part. Just a note :D Also, thanks with lots of love for all of the reviews. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!_

Ch. 25 _Sucka_

Nudge saw her almost immediately.

It was Max, flying above the trees. She was obviously looking for the flock.

"Hey, Fang!" Nudge called, "It's Max!" She pointed up to where she had seen her and frowned. Max was gone.

Fang jogged over. "Are you sure?" he asked. Pine needles crunched underfoot as he shifted, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Nudge wished she was as ready as he was.

"Definitely."

Angel looked over where Nudge had pointed.

"I can hear Max's thoughts, but I don't know where they're coming from." She tilted her chin up as if bravely marching into a battle she knew she would lose. "I'll go look for her."

"No," Fang said slowly, "I will. Nudge, you're in charge 'till I get back." Iggy had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Wh-what?" He opened and closed his mouth several times, looking a lot like a fish. Fang looked at him one last time, then took off into the woods.

Nudge walked around the clearing they had stopped in. She had never been in charge before. It was kind of nice. She glanced back over at Iggy, who still had his mouth open, eyebrows tilted up.

She felt sort of sorry for him, since Fang probably put her in charge because Iggy was blind. Fang didn't normally hold stuff like that against him. There was a first for everything, though. But if Iggy wasn't totally handicapped like that, she would have been like 'Sucka!'

Nudge looked over at Iggy again. His expression had changed from surprised to somewhat hurt.

"But -" he said to no one in particular, "But I'm, I'm…" he trailed off and turned toward the general direction of the flock. "Why?" he mouthed silently.

Ch.26 _Get off the computer doofus face_

I looked at the ground coming towards me.

Tranquilizer isn't Valium, so I had time to react.

My wings flapped up and down a few times, slowing my descent. I was still falling, but it was more of a 'Ta-tump' when I landed instead of a 'Ga-lump'.

_Oh no,_ I thought to myself, _I'm already getting loopy._

I crumpled on the forest floor, not wanting to move. I just wanted to lay down and pet something.

_The ground,_ I thought_, the ground is soft._

So I lay there flat on my stomach, with my head resting on one bent arm, other arm extended, gently stroking the ground.

My body ached, and I wondered why. Something sounded like it was coming. It was coming…what? My thoughts were incoherent, I knew that. Then it came closer. It? What is it? The ground? No, I was petting the ground.

A voice called out to me.

"Max?" Fang's shoes appeared on the ground. I looked up at him as he started helping me up. Then I spotted his hair.

_Sorry, ground._

"Oooh!" I squealed. Almost exited. Nope. Too peaceful, too….tranquil.

I was up on my feet now. I looked up at Fang's hair. It looked softer than the ground. I reached a hand up to the top of his head and started petting it, noting it _was_ softer than the ground.

"Uh, Max?" Fang eyed me suspiciously. "What are you doing?" Something I didn't know I was holding dropped form my hand and I looked down. Dart. _Ow._ I rubbed my calf and turned back to Fang, who was bending down to pick the dart up. He straightened back up and squinted at the tiny print. His eyebrows lifted and he looked at me.

"Wow," he said, "I think two fainting incidents in a day in a half is a new record." I looked at him and grinned goofily. Was that a joke? I didn't know. But it was funny. Until I saw what was in his hands.

ANIMAL TRANQIUILIZER

Everything that had happened in the last ten minutes rushed back at me all at once.

"Fang!" I said, surprised at hearing my voice sound so strong. I jerked my hand back quickly, realizing what I had been doing. Petting Fang.

I think that kind of woke me up.

"Fang," I put my hand over my mouth, letting in a gasp. "Where are you – I mean, the others," I sputtered. I was already recovering from my shock, and felt myself starting to dip back into that strange Valium-like trance. Trust me – not a good thing.

"Wait -" I began, then shook my head. "I mean, hurry. Valium." I blurted. I heard myself say "Valium?" I repeated it slowly, blinking my eyes.

"Vvvvv….allililililooooooo," I blinked again, realizing that weird twist of a word had come from me. What?

Fang looked at me as if I were crazy. I raised my eyebrows, then let them drop.

"Fang!" I said, brightening. "Have I ever told you – mmloflomlmm" He covered my mouth with his hand. I looked at him innocently, and he pulled his hand back, looking kind of freaked.

"- Your hair is soft." I finished. He seemed relieved, and I smiled.

"Trust fall!" I grinned and then collapsed into his arms.


	20. An Unusual Conversation, a New Disease

_Note: Hey! Sorry it took so long to update! Thanks you guys so much for being patient. Had testing last week, and there's been a BUNCH of homework otherwise. You know. School stuff._

_So, some of you may be wondering what the last chapter's title had to do with anything. To tell the truth, NOTHING. My sister wrote that onto my chapter the night I was typing it up. It was like 1:00 in the morning, and she was pretty much trying to kick me off of my own computer. It was funny (more of an inside joke, really) so I kept it. And named the title of the whole update it. _

_Most of the reason, though, was that I'm making something for my sister (don't tell her!). It's a surprise. I would tell you what it is, but I'm pretty sure that if she were to ever somehow wander over here or if I left this page up, it would spoil it. So I guess you'll just have to wait with her :D _

_Thanks for being ever-so-nice with all of your reviews. I still get the bubblies when I get reviews!_

So, **get off the computer, doofus face!**

(realizes it's Earth Day and hurries to change fanfic)

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

* * *

Ch. 27 _A new disease_

Gazzy looked around nervously. Fang and Max were both gone, and Nudge was in charge. Not Iggy. Nudge.

Gazzy looked at Nudge, who was starting to get jumpy. The younger kids called it In-Charge Syndrome. When Max and Fang are both gone at the same time, whoever is left in charge starts to unravel. At first they're quiet, watching over everything. Then they start to become extremely nervous…with increased irritability and a chance of heart attack or stroke.

_Heh,_ Gazzy thought, _Commercial!_

But, really, when Max and Fang are gone, the flock gets a weird feeling-vibe. It's uncomfortable.

And Nudge wasn't supposed to be in charge.

Gazzy blinked at Iggy. He was sitting against the base of a tree, staring off into space. No emotion showed on his face. Maybe betrayal. Gazzy might have been imagining it, though.

Ch. 28 _An unusual chat_

Angel sat down in the dusty dirt. She looked at Iggy, hearing his thoughts.

_Fang,_ she heard,_ stupid Fang._

Angel tried to pull away, realizing this was exactly what Max had told her not to do – invade on other people's privacy, inner thoughts, anger rants. But she couldn't help it. It was like trying to tune out screaming. Screaming in her direction. That only she could hear.

Wow, it really wasn't like trying to tune at screaming at all.

Angel listened a little closer. Iggy was really, really angry. More than he had been in a long time.

_Just because I'm blind,_ he ranted inwardly,_ Nudge is three years younger! I –I,_

His coherent thoughts stopped, and a burst of absolute, unreadable anger erupted through his mind. Angel squinted and tried to concentrate on someone else.

Fang! And…Max?

"Hey!" Angel called out, breaking Iggy's rage.

"I hear Fang and Max's thoughts!" she yipped happily. They were okay – but something was different. About Max. She seemed woozy. Then completely silent. Then woozy. Then hushed, like a dream.

"Max?" Angel said out loud, putting everyone on edge. Heads swiveled toward her, and she lifted up her hand in a 'just a sec' pose. Angel got up slowly, trying not to get dirt on her new jacket.

Fang's thoughts were of struggle. Carrying something. Carrying Max.

_Max,_ he thought, _can she faint any more times in a day? The pool, she was such a – _

Nudge cut in, breaking her concentration.

"What happened to Max?" she asked, eagerness flooding her mind.

"She fainted, I think," Angel said unsurely.

Nudge gasped, somewhat dramatically, and Iggy asked, "Is she okay?"

Angel shrugged her shoulders and sent Fang a thought.

_Is Max okay?_ Angel thought. _Where are you?_

Fang's mind suddenly froze, and a feeling similar to that of being caught entered his conscience. Then he answered her.

_Angel, please, _he sent,_ don't invade my mind. It's the only place some people have left to retreat to._

_Well, except Max. _Angel blinked at the rest of the flock. She guessed by the looks on their faces they didn't want her to be having a friendly conversation with Fang.

Contemplation was in Fang's mind. Contemplation was always hard. So many different layers of thoughts bombarded her, but she blocked them out.

_I guess,_ Fang answered.

Angel frowned. Max hadn't said anything about the Voice all week. Maybe it was gone. A bunch of thoughts creeped up on her.

_Why hasn't Angel said anything?_

_Is Max hurt?_

_Is Fang lost?_

_What happened to Max?_

_Did Angel say fainted?_

Angel cleared her mind and reached down to grab Celeste.

_Is Max okay? _Angel asked.

_Nothing fatal._

Nothing comforting, Angel thought, but didn't send.

_Do you want us to meet you guys?_

_Yeah. Up and Away._

"Up and Away!" Angel relayed, and jumped into the air.

_Note: Cool! I found this neat line - thing (points up). How long has that been there?_

* * *


	21. Dizzy

_Note: If you can't tell, this is later that day._

Ch. 29 _I'm so dizzy_

I looked around sleepily, unable to think.

Trees. I see trees. And sky. I see sky too. Mmm, fly. Fly, sky. Ooh!

I sat up, not able to comprehend the flock's excitement. We were in a tree. A big tree. And the sky was around us. Not above. Around us. That's the beauty of being a bird. Um, kid. Bird kid. Yeah, you can see what birds see and have the capacity to enjoy it.

About ten seconds after it happened, I realized Fang had sat down next to me. He was looking at me intently, staring into my eyes.

"Yo," I said. He just blinked.

"Yooooooooo," I said again, stretching out the word. I sighed. I started to wonder if he was still human and not made of marble.

"Yo?" He just looked at me more, and I sighed again, getting annoyed.

"FANG!" I yelled, my voice ricocheting through the forest.

"Yes?" he answered quietly.

_Oh._

I clutched my head and closed my eyes.

"Nowhere."

"What?" Fang's voice curled and waved, it crawled under my eyelids and gave me a picture of him. He sat there, looking at me in my mind's eye. When I opened my eyes, I saw almost the same thing as I did when I was imagining him.

"Voice is gone." The sunset was pretty, and it looked especially good from way up here. Bea- utee- full.

Fang didn't say anything, but turned his head back to the falling sun.

"You areeeee….qui-et." I told him. He looked at me and sighed.

"I'm just thinking." Yawning, I laid back down on my branch and _sang._

"A- la la. Na la la la la." I smiled lazily at Fang. "I'm glad Mrs. Martinez is my mom. Maybe she'll sing a lullaby to me."

Fang looked at me again, and suddenly I couldn't take it.

"No, Fang. You are NOT just thinking. Don't you ever try to trick me like that, you LIAR!"

I wobbled and hung onto my branch, wrapping my arms around it and trying to keep steady. Apparently dizziness and mood swings were part of the side effects.

He looked a little hurt. Maybe. You can't tell on Fang, especially when you're woozy like I've been for the past three hours.

Fang gazed into my eyes like they were stars. Angry, moody, dizzy stars.

"I don't think you can handle what I'm thinking in your state right now." He said softly.

So, naturally, now I was curious.

"What is it?" I poked at him. "Tell me. I can handle." Fang raised his eyebrows at me.

"I'm Max, you can tell me!" I persisted, then changed tacks. "Fang, you tell me now, now, now. Or I will hurt you." I yawned right then, and Fang gave a look, like, 'Sure you will'. I pouted, and he told me something kind of Voice –ish.

"If you really are able to handle, you won't need me to tell you." I held in my breath and released it slowly.

"Okaaaaaaay." I blinked and looked into his dark eyes.

And you know what? He was right!

Everything I wanted to know was in his gaze. It was like I was looking into his mind. It was like I was Angel.

Ooh, creepy.

Fang had so much in his eyes. I wasn't exactly his eyes that told me, I guess. It was the memory of his eyes. I remembered…what was it? I didn't ever think I could tell so much about what someone was thinking through their eyes. I never could, until then. Just for a moment, Fang opened up.

_This must be what I'm like to him._

His eyes betrayed him, and I remembered.

And then it was gone.

But I already knew all I needed to know.

"Oh!" I gasped, as if I had just come up from underwater. "Fang, I'm so sorry."

* * *

_Note: Thanks for being so patient. I know I haven't been updating a lot, and I probably won't gain full speed again for a while. Sorry! For some reason, this annoying thing called 'school' keeps interefering. How dare it enter my world! And then this thing called 'life' keeps on interrupting my updates. Arrgh! Doesn't it know how important fanfiction is to the economy, to the world? Probably not, since neither is true._

* * *


	22. The Flashback Chapter

_Note: I haven't updated in a long long time, so I decided to post this gigunda chapter to make it up to you :) It's sooo FAXY! Kind of. Depends on your definition of Fax (evil grin). Enjoy this big chapter! (And read the A/N the bottom of the page when you're done)_

**IMPORTANT: Pay close attention to the chapter numbers of this one and the last one and the next one. This is a giant flashback, kind of showing what happened and why Max was all like "I'm so sorry!" (but from Fang's view). This chapter is also written as if it were the present (and it's not). The next chapter will be going back to the present. So yeah.**

Ch. 28 ½

Fang carried Max gingerly, dutifully making sure she wasn't being scratched or dragging on the ground on the way back to the remainder of the flock. After the little chat with Angel, Fang adjusted Max in his arms and had flown up to the top of the trees. There, he was waiting for the rest of the flock to meet up with him so they could retreat to the soon-to-be-rented somewhat safer motel room.

_Wow,_ Fang thought,_ Max costs a lot of money._

No sign of the flock. Where were they?

Fang glanced down at Max quickly, not wanting to stir up any feelings but also wanting to know if she was okay. He brushed a few wisps of hair away from her face and stared at her. He had planned on not gaping at her when she was unable to respond, respecting her. But he figured, well, it was better now than ever. She couldn't become suspicious or uncomfortable. He could stare at her all day and she wouldn't even know.

It was also sort of unnerving, though, too. She was completely out, like she was dead. Fang once even checked her pulse, just to make sure.

Well, the flock still wasn't here. They weren't that far away, were they?

And Fang felt like talking.

Now _that_ was not a sentence you hear every day, especially form him. Even Fang knew he was the dark, tall, _quiet_ one. But Fang didn't want to talk to just anyone. He wanted to talk to _Max._

Fang searched with discerning hawk eyes and scanned the area. Still no sign of the flock. And Max was just here, unable to hear him.

So Fang spilled out his heart.

"Max?" He shook her lightly. "Uh…hey." He paused and scanned around again. No one. "You know, I miss talking to you. We haven't really talked since I…left. We used to talk all the time. But now…I guess there's nothing to say." Fang's eyes searched the trees again. This was so unlike him. He never talked about his feelings. But no one was here…

"Uhm, I miss seeing you battle. We haven't really fought anything lately. But you look so…" He shook her again to make sure she wasn't hearing anything, "strong and tough, so…" He peeked at the empty forest. "graceful and……" He trailed off and lowered his voice to a whisper. "so beautiful. You amaze me, Max, how you can be so brutal and severe, then afterwards so comforting and understanding. How you can get punched in the face, then get right back up and say you love life. How you give up everything and anything for the flock and ask for nothing in return."

He paused to look around some more and tried to contact Angel. Nothing.

It suddenly occurred to Fang he should be worried. He hadn't been that far away when he found Max, had he? Where could they be?

After making sure Max was unable to fall from her grey branch, Fang flew up high and probed the treetops with her raptor vision. A slight movement close to where he had left Max caught his eye, and he dived back down protectively. What he saw was an unhappy-looking Max struggling to stay on her branch and failing miserably at it.

Fang slowly picked his way through the leaves of tall trees back to her. She had no idea he was coming, queue Jaws music. He flew up a foot behind her and held on tightly to the thick trunk of the trunk, all the while making sure she didn't notice him. Just as Max was about to actually fall, Fang put a bony hand against the top of her back and pushed forward. She literally made a little squeal and blindly elbowed him in the stomach.

"Max!" he gasped. She immediately whipped around and started issuing a steady stream of "I'm sorry"s.

"Oh, Fang, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" he made a weak smile and coughed out a "yeah".

"Nice to see you're always prepared." Fang clutched his stomach, which was throbbing painfully. It would be gone in a minute, due to their amazing bird powers, but, until then, it hurt bad. Who knew Max's elbows were so hard?

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Fang." He knew she was still out of it just by that sentence. She hardly ever apologized like that. Max never used 'so, so, so' or even said a simple 'sorry' more than twice for one thing. She was just so naturally caring like that.

Fang gave a little grin and sat on the thick branch next to her. Max smiled back at him and folded her hands in her lap, like a proper lady.

Okay, Max was _way_ too out of it for comfort. She bounced her head from side to side, her short brunette hair bouncing happily around the outline of her face. He hoped with all his might she wouldn't say something like before. It was good for surprising her, or just making her blush, but it was still…awkward.

He suddenly became very interested in the amazing craftsmanship of his sneakers.

Max was still bouncing around like Nudge. This was so unlike her. She never looked like that. She was never so distracted or, frankly, girly enough to hum cute little tunes and tilt her head to the melody.

He hated it.

Sure, it was entertaining, but he wanted the real Max back. So far this week, she had been more unlike herself than not. He wished she's stop being bombarded with loony drugs and just be Max.

A thought occurred to him, and he turned quickly to Max.

"Max?"

"Ye-es?" she answered.

"Uhm," he began. Wow, did he have a way with words.

"Max?" he repeated, because she had already been distracted by a bird feeding its children.

"Aww, how sweet!" she squealed. "Fang, you should have a mom like that. You deserve one."

He froze, and an icy shard enveloped his heart. That was a delicate subject. He dismissed the feeling quickly, reminding himself Max was not right in the head at the moment.

"Uh, Max?" Fang asked a third time, fighting to get her attention. She turned to grin at him, and he sighed, not wanting to ask this. There was no way Max had heard, though. Max was trained. If she had any working senses at all, then habit, if nothing else, would have made her acknowledge him when he'd been talking to her. A groan, a twitch, something.

"Uhm, I was wondering, you know, if you heard me earlier when I was…talking to you." He nervously asked, then gave a quick smile. Maybe if her was acting strange like her, she's understand him.

Max tilted her head and threw a giant grin at him.

"Oh, yeah, every word." Fang's eyes widened in horror and he looked away quickly. That was totally unexpected.

Neither of them had to endure the painful aftermath, because the flock burst through the trees at that moment.

"Max!"

"You're okay!"

"What happened, Fang?"

"Are they okay?" Iggy.

Max made an exited "Oh!" and smiled a big, goofy grin at them. Everyone froze.

"Max?" Nudge started, "Are you okay?" She inched closer, observing Max like a lion at the zoo. Afraid, but reassured it can't hurt you.

Fang cleared his throat and Angel eyed him suspiciously. He tried desperately to block out his thoughts.

"Max has –" He cleared his throat again.

"Uhm, been…injected…with tranquilizer."

Everyone sat around in silence. Gazzy's eyes quickly became the size of UFOs.

"MAX TAKE DRUGS?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, staring at her in shock. Nudge groaned and Iggy rolled his eyes.

"Gazzy, Max can't _afford_ drugs." Fang looked at Iggy blankly. That wasn't exactly the motive he was thinking of.

"Oh."

"Anyways, she's a little…uhm –" Max giggled, interrupting him. He glanced over at her. Exhibit A. "Well, I'm in charge."

Nudge looked scared, and Angel looked confused.

"Fang?" Angel said sweetly. He baby blue eyes bored into him. He sent her a look like, 'If this isn't meant to be said out loud, don't say it out loud.' She nodded and closed her eyes.

_Fang?_ Angel thought in the same sweet way she had out loud. _What did you say to her?_

He sighed out loud. He knew what had happened. Max was thinking about –he clamped that thought down– and Angel heard it, but the tranquilizer had made everything fuzzy. She was respecting his privacy by asking him instead of just searching through his thoughts.

_How nice of her_, Fang thought sarcastically.

_Sorry, Fang,_ Angel thought sadly.

_Oh, no, Angel. I'm sorry._ He hoped he sounded like Max._ I was…talking to her...about…stuff._

_Talking __with__ her or talking__ to__ her?_

Apparently Max's thoughts hadn't been _that_ fuzzy.

_Um, to. Angel, don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you._

_Not even Max?_

_Not even Max. _She paused a minute.

_Okay._

_(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((_

_Note: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA_

_That's right, I'm not going to tell you what he said to her. If you have anything over the IQ of a rock, though, you probably know around the lines of what he said. Heh heh heh. Lolzies._

_You know how I like to keep ahead on my chapters? Well, if I were to post another chapter, I would have no other chapters left. I am caught up with my chapters! _

_NOOOOOOOO!!_

_Sorry, I'm so tired I'm delirious._

_Uh, give my a bunch of ideas, please. And then you can get the bubblies form helping out a fellow writer :D But, seriously, if you have like more than one idea, be sure to post it. Even if it's totally wacky like 'Have Fang dance and sing and stuff' that's fine! It still might give me ideas, you know? I'm totally out of them. Which is probably bad, seeing as you guys are waiting for another chapter. And stuff._

_Thanks! _


	23. A lovely dovely authors note

_Note: Yo, don't worry, I hate when you get mail and it says some one just put up and AUTHOR'S NOTE! Arghh! So annoying! There for, since I feel your pain, I am going to put up a chappie too. Author's notes and chappies should come in pairs, no matter what :)__ Okay guys, here's the deal. I update a soon as I can (chapter-making permitting). I always wait until I get reviews to update again. Remember when I said I won't hold chapters for hostage? Totally true. I wait until I get reviews so that I know people have had a chance to read it! If you guys don't review, I don't know you're ready for the next chapter. Don't want to overwhelm you with chapters! It's been like a week, and I got one review. That was the LONGEST CHAPTER I have ever put out! Something is wrong with that, people! But, still, I seriously need some reviews or I won't update for a while. If I get 10 reviews within a day of me putting out a chapter, I'll put out a chapter really quick! Because then, I know all of ya'll (a little countray from little ol' Georg-ia) have read it and are waiting for me to get off my lazy streak! It motivates AND tells when people have read it. Plus, it makes me feel really, really sad when no one reviews. And, because only one person reviewed, I am going to shower them with thanks. THANKS A BUNCH!!_

_Yo, and I'm putting out a new chapter because I'm pretty sure that a week is long enough! Lolz!_

_Enjoy, and thanks you SO MUCH for reading! I never thought actual people would like my stories!_


	24. Puddle

This chapter is dedicated to...

_**THE FLOCK'S BUD!!**_

Yo, thanks so much for reviewing! I hereby dedicate this chapter (in such an awesome formal-ly way) to you, my sole review-er person.

And a special thanks to all those other people that always review on my chappies and stuff like: _la mia stella, Give Up You Prejudices, LuckySox,_ _-Aikio-Hatate-, _and all those other people. I would list all of you if I could (there's more people that reviewed out of the kindness of their heart! Thanks to you guys too!), but if I took all that time to list everyone, I wouldn't be able to meditate in the awesomeness of reviews and read over them, getting such nice bubbly feelings and trying to make my story better from them! (A mouthful, I know. I'm slowly turning into Nudge!)

But, seriously, you guys. Thanks :)

_Note: Thanks._

_Lolz!_

* * *

Ch.30 _Puddle_

I watched Fang look away.

"Fang," I whispered softly. This unexpected memory melted all my dizziness and incomprehension away. I remembered him talking to me, about how he missed me, about how I was tough, about how I was…beautiful. I felt my breath leave my lungs. _Beautiful?_

The whole flock had pretty much left by now, sensing this was a personal moment. But even with the reduction of all the noise, I couldn't concentrate. Beautiful? No one had ever called me beautiful before.

Fang suddenly turned to me. His head was tilted down, as if he was awaiting punishment.

"I'm sorry, Max." He paused and looked up at me. I just stared at him in absolute awe. "I didn't mean – well, I meant, but I didn't…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "What I meant to say was that you look like…" My heart was ready to jump out of my chest.

"A leader."

"Oh." I was about ready to burst. Half of me had wanted him to say that, if nothing more than to avoid the awkwardness. But the other half _had_ wanted him to say beautiful. I mean, who doesn't want to be called beautiful? It isn't a compliment you get every day. I mostly just called mutant freak. That was why I was disappointed. The only reason. **No other reason.** That's what I told myself, anyway.

I tried to hide my disappointment by tilting my head a little to the right, but apparently it didn't work.

Fang took one look at me and opened his eyes wide.

I really have to learn how to do that emotionless face thing.

"Oh! But, I mean, I don't mean you're not _pretty _or anything, because you _are,_ but, I mean, you _are _beautiful, really beautiful, just…" he trailed off and I almost grinned. Fang, Mr. Rock, Mr. Emotionless Statue, all tongue-tied!

There were a few moments of awkward silence, and, suddenly, I couldn't help it.

I burst out laughing.

Fang seemed confused at first (the new emotions just keep on comin'), as if he didn't know what to do. A rare smile crept into his face, and then we were both laughing like the crazy bird mutants we were.

We went on and on, and my sides started hurting. Just looking at Fang laughing, though, set off a whole new round of laughter, and I was practically falling off the thick limb that held us, holding my sides to keep them from burning.

"Oh! Oh! Hahahahaha! Owwahahahahaowww!"

I actually snorted once, and that made me laugh so hard I actually fell onto Fang, using him to keep me somewhat upright.

My insides started hurting after the third round of laughter. It was so good, just to let all my troubles melt away into a puddle of happiness. Tension, buildup, weirdness with Fang, worry about my flock, all of it just disappeared. Now I had this warm, fuzzy feeling, and I never wanted it to go away. It spread through my body and warmed up all the little cockles of my heart. It felt like sunshine on the big, rainy hurricane that was my life. Fang being there made it twice as good.

Speaking of Fang, he was laughing uncontrollably too. His dark hair fell across his face, curtaining half of his giant, once-in-a-blue moon smile from me. Shoulders shaking, Fang barely supported me when I practically collapsed on him from laughter.

To tell the truth, by this point I didn't even remember what we were laughing about. I didn't even care. Nothing could have made me happier right then, just giggling my head off without a care in the world. With Fang. Knowing my flock was safe.

A piercing scream echoed through the forest.

Or not.


	25. Search Party of One

_Note: ..._

_Like, whoa._

_Reviews are AWESOME!!_

_Yo, I was planning on only updating once, but, man, I suddenly feel like putting up some chapters. And you know why? Good, cuz I don't either :) Other than the obvious bubbly feeling from all those awesome reviews._

_Okay, heads up with the chapter POV and times. This time stuff is about to become very confusing. Chapter 31 goes all the way to the next morning. Chapter 32 starts from Fang's POV about 2 senteces or so before the end of 31. Chapter 33 is starting all the way from the middle of 30. Try not not get too confused!_

_To clear things up, Max is NOT still loopy :)_

_Woah. I just listened to No Air on Youtube by Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown, and that song is totally AWESOME!! My BFFs told me about it and had me listen to it and it is sooo cool. And catchy. Well, maybe not catchy, but definitely awesome. A bunch of you probably hate it (like my sister) but that's okay :D_

_Next up, Celebrate Me Home, by Ruban Studdard. Keep all those mainstream-y songs comin'! Then I'm listening to Cotton Eye Joe and whatever else I feel like listening to in my lovely eclectic song list._

_There was something I was going to say, and when I put this up I will smack myself on the forehead (because at that moment I know I will remember). Lolz. Enjoy!_

Ch.31 _Crash_

My breath caught in my throat, and I cursed silently.

I catapulted myself off of my branch, catching the air with my wings. Why now? Now of all times! One of the few times in my life I was having a good time, and the School, or whatever it was, had to go and ruin it.

Rage bubbled and churned inside me. I channeled it into my flight. I went into hyper mode, leaving Fang behind. That had been Angel's scream, I noticed with a start.

_Angel! No, not again! They can't have taken her again! No, no, NO!_

All of a sudden, a headache blew up in my skull, and I lurched forward.

No, not as bad as before, when the Voice was first invading my mind, but apparently bad enough to make me crash into some trees and black out.

It think so, anyway, because I woke up tangled in branches, bright sunlight streaming into my eyes.

_Note: I know I shouldn't put up more than two chapters…I'm still behind…OH BUT THOSE REVIEWS WERE JUST SO SWEEEET!! _

_Oh, Fine!_

Ch.32 _Search Party of One_

Fang swooped down into the trees and back up again.

He flew in a circle, then swooped down somewhere else.

"Max!" he yelled out, cupping his hands around his mouth. "MAX!"

It had barely been a minute, and Fang had already lost Max. Of course, her leaving, using her warp speed powers, had helped, but, come on, you should only lose someone so many times a day.

"MAX!" he yelled again, staying very still for a second to listen. He sighed and pushed off into the air again. The moon was full, so spotting her would be much easier than normal. But it was still _night,_ and even though the flock had good sight…

He circled a few more times and dropped back down to camp. He was just being overprotective. Max probably just went to help Angel out. They were probably comeing back to camp this very moment.

_Yeah,_ Fang thought, _And the psycho scientists at the school just want to have tea and biscuits with us. _

He rekindled the fire for a moment, then jumped into the air in the direction Max had gone. With her warp speed, she could be miles from here by now. But Max could take care of herself. With this thought in mind, Fang landed in the branches of a particularly tall pine tree.

Out of nowhere, a headache unlike any other blocked out all of his senses, and he soon found himself on the forest floor, unaware he was passing out.


	26. Eavesdropping, Volume II

_Note: To Give up your Prejudices: You'll just have to wait and see! BTW, Fang is not with the rest of the flock. He was just trying to find Max. And I'm afraid answers won't be coming really soon. Just so you know :D And, also, keep in mind that I post these chapters while I have a few chapters head already written. I can't use all of your ideas because of this. Sorry!_

_Reviews! (Jumps up and down) Updating because I'm just so happy. Listening to No Air again. Still addicted to that song. Continuing on now._

Ch.33 _Eavesdropping, Volume II_

Iggy suppressed a giggle.

"Oh! But, I mean, I don't mean you're not _pretty_ or anything, because you _are,_ but, I mean, you _are _beautiful, really beautiful, just…" Fang's voice stammered from afar.

Iggy covered Gazzy's mouth with one hand and Nudge's mouth with another. He didn't know what he would have done if Angel were there. Use a foot? Nudge grinned from under his grip, and he could tell she was suppressing the urge to blabber.

"Mflufluaxndfngstmmmgfffny!" she laughed, but it sounded like a dying/choking squirrel.

"Shhh!" Iggy hissed, and she giggled a little quieter. Gazzy glared at her, and she glared back, still smiling.

Sudden laughter erupted from the direction of Max and Fang.

"Gazzy, why are they laughing?" he whispered.

"I don't know," Gazzy answered, sounding perplexed.

"Nudge?" he whispered to his right. What he wouldn't give to not be blind at timed like these.

"Uh, I – oh! Max was laughing at Fang because he stuttered!" Her smile revealed how proud she was to Iggy. True, no one ever knew what was happening when those two laughed. The world coming to and end? One would think so, considering how different they acted when it was just them.

A deathly scream echoed through the forest, and a moment of absolute silence followed, everyone's previous joy forgotten.

"What was that?" Iggy's voice was low, because he already knew the answer.

"Angel," Gazzy whispered, then flew off into the forest.

_Note: Still giggling that I made Fang say Max was beautiful. Thought that was a realistic way to make him do it. _


	27. Ouchie

_Note: Went to see Speed Racer today. It's awesome in its own special way. And if you don't like special ways, I don't suggest seeing it. XD_

_Felt like updating for my reviewers. And to my readers : I'm putting up a Oneshot if you want to read it. I've never written a oneshot before, so this is totally new to me. Wish me luck!_

_I hope you like these chapters. I've got colorguard auditions on Monday, so I'm going to be practicing like crazy. So sorry if I won't be able to update soon. :D_

Ch.34 _Ouchie_

Gazzy flew quickly, quicker than he ever had before. He was supposed to protect Angel. She was his sister. Instead he was off laughing at Max and Fang being all mushy, the complete _opposite _of protecting her. It was his job, just like Max when she protects the flock. He was supposed to protect Angel, because she was his sister.

Gazzy felt a little dizzy though. Maybe he was more like Max than he thought. Maybe he'd all of a sudden fall out of the sky and get a Voice and start rating how good cookies taste.

_Nah._

Then Gazzy got a headache.

He froze up, unable to move his wings or his hands or _anything._ He dropped like a stone, and right before he conked out he thought,

_Angel, don't ever become like Max. It hurts._

_I won't, _a voice choked inside his head.

Ch.35 _Wake up_

I breathed in a deep lungful of air. My lungs gratefully accepted said air, and soon I was on my way to the wonderful land of Not Suffocating. Get a pamphlet. I hear they have nice beach houses.

Sunlight glared brightly in my eyes. This somehow upset me, though I didn't know exactly why. I was late for something. A meeting?

A thought flashed across my mind. _Where's my flock?_

It hit me like when Fang had kissed me.

Woah, where did that come from?

Shaking my head of all Fang-related thoughts (courtesy of some overreactive hormones), I checked over myself. Nothing was broken.

_Maybe it was simply courtesy of your heart._

Forget my last question, where did THAT come from?

My mouth dropped open – I seriously couldn't help it. It fell down to its own accord. I didn't have any control over my actions any more.

Suddenly I realized the culprit. No way would I think something like that normally, when something so extremely important was happening elsewhere.

_Voice?_

_Yes, Maximum?_

_

* * *

_

* * *

_Note: I'm just so evil, sometimes I amaze myself._

_Wish me luck w/my audition. I have a sinking feeling I'm going to fall flat on my face._

_I've decided to put up my oneshot early, since I've been so evil with these chapters. Sooo..._

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

_It's 12:44, I'm officially delirious. W00t_

_W00t w00t_

_(Cackles maniacally) _

_(Notices people staring)_

_What?_

_Garnet_

_P.S. Sleep deprivation is my Valium. Don't ever deny me my sleep._


	28. I Spy

_Note: Okay, guys, I can explain._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_...Okay, no I can't. Just know I had a lot to do and I feel really horrible for not updating. I'm officially sorry. I'm reading Eclipse for the first time. You seriously can't expect me to put that book down, can you? And then my school is closing (did I tell you?). There was a lot to do, really, so please don't be hard on me. I won't be updating for a while, still, so I'm sorry in advance for that. _

_A few of you were confused about the story from the last few chapters...let me try to help with that...Chapter 31 is at night. Max is racing to save Angel but passes out and wakes in the morning (which tells you that she passed out all through the night and into the next day). Okay. Got that? Chapter 32. This takes place still at night. Max has just left to go save Angel. This is from Fang's point of view. Max is racing to save Angel. Of course, you can't see that b/c this is fomr Fang's point of view. Fang passes out at the same time as Max. Onto Chapter 33. Iggy is listening to Max and Fang. This backtracks all the way back to when Fang and Max are talking alone with each other (remember that?). They are not making fun of them. They are listening to them. See? Anyways, they hear the scream that makes Max leave to save Angel. Gazzy leaves. Chapter 34. Gazzy is still flying, having just left Iggy and Nudge. He is doing this at the same time Max is flying to save Angel and Fang is searching around for Max. Gazzy passes out, at the same time as Max and Fang. Chapter 35. This is morning, fomr Max's pov. It's right after Max wakes up from passing out. Again, she was out all night. This coming up Chapter 36 is from Fang's pov and happening at the same time as Chapter 35 (Max's morning). Okay...got it? I've explained to the fullest of my ability. Kind of. Sorry if I won't be able to update much. Or at all. Sorry :(_

_On with the story... _

Ch.36 _I spy with my little eye something that is RED_

Fang woke and immediately stood up.

Where in the world was he?

A breeze tainted with a bloody smell curled past him. What…what was that?

Fang took a deep breath. The bright sun glared angrily at him, and he shielded his eyes. How did he even get here?

Looking around quickly, Fang tried to get his bearings. It was a little hard, though. Being a paranoid mutant constantly chased and harassed, it kind of comes with the package.

He was surrounded by low, wild bushes. He was already in a bad mood – but for some reason, the thorns in his side (literally) just kept adding! Let's start off with the _humongous_ headache that seemed to want to be his friend. And the flock being nowhere in sight. Oh, and lets not forget _not having any bleeping idea where he was! _

Fang clutched his side. Looking down, he realized that something cut a huge gash in his stomach. He hissed in pain. Something wet dropped onto his head, and he looked up.

What he saw made his blood stop cold.

Suspended by ruthless branches, hung Iggy, dripping blood into a puddle at Fang's feet.

Ch.37 _I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter "I"_

"Iggy!" Fang shouted, sure a look of pure horror was on his face. "Iggy!"

He did a quick up and away, fighting off intruding plants on his way. Now wonder Iggy got so banged up – Fang was the lucky one. A gash in the side was nothing compared to what Iggy had. A purple bruise extended down his arm, obvious from even where Fang was. A deep cut crossed his cheek. His foot was bent awkwardly, and he was pretty sure his ankle was broken. Stray branches stuck out from all over, making him look like a battered scarecrow. And because various cuts bled profusely, Iggy was hardly recognizable under the disguise of "bloody pulp". After what seemed like hours, but was really minutes, Fang reached Iggy high in the trees.

"Iggs," he whispered, shaking him gently. A barely perceptible groan escaped form Iggy, and a glimmer of hope sparked in Fang, followed closely by resolve. He wasn't losing his brother. Not today.

Straightening his jacket, and making sure Iggy was firmly on the ground, Fang lifted off into the sky, more determination flowing through him than he's felt in a long _time._

_Note:_

_TWILIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD! ECLIPSE SPOILERS AHEAD! NEW MOON SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS AHEAD!!_

_I wish people would do that for me._

_So...what's up?_

_Oh, I can't take it!!_

Yeah. I miss you too. A lot. Doesn't change anything. Sorry.

_I would have totally been a Jacob supporter if he hadn't been the evil-est person in the world on page 330-331. Now he's just evil. And to think I actually felt bad for him. Makes me SICK. _

_XD_

_Does anyone know, like, forums or boards to discuss Twilight in? I need someone to vent and/or discuss things with...sorry I haven't updated in a long time, again. _

_Thanks for reading..._

_Garnet_


	29. Transmission

_Note: I'm sorrylicious. Like, really._

Ch. 38 _Transmission_

Nudge woke feeling unhappy.

Usually she was really happy when she woke up. Well, tired, and then happy.

But today she woke up face-down in the dirt, feeling like a couple of Erasers decided to beat her up in her sleep. Not pleasant at all.

Spitting a few particles of dirt that found their way into her mouth, Nudge sat up, immediately wishing that she hadn't. Ugh, she felt so _lightheaded._

"Aaargh!" Nudge cried out. Where were the rest of the flock? Were they playing a trick on her?

She tried desperately to grasp a memory of last night. Nothing came to mind. Only a feeling of dread. Of something missing – something was definitely wrong.

Frantically searching the nearby trees, Nudge found no clues indicating what had happened the night before. The more she thought about it. The more she felt like there was a pressing matter at hand. _But what in the world was it?_

Doing an up and away, Nudge realized that she had a large cut on her wing. Where did she get _that _from? She increased her speed, and now she was practically hyperventilating, thought speeding at a million miles per hour.

_Did the School erase my memory? Do I have amnesia? Where's Max? Where's the flock? Where'd I get that cut? Where's Fang? Where's Angel? Where am I?_

_Help me,_ a voice called. Nudge immediately recognized Angel's thoughts and started to land.

_Angel?_

_Help me. Help me, I think I'm dying._

* * *

_Note: Thans for being so understanding, guys! It's so hard to make myself actually sit down and type everything up! I have a general idea where the story is going, but I'm not really sure I see an ending in sight...hmm. I don't know - it depends on what you guys want. Should I cut it short and update, like, once a month? Or should I wrap it up and make a few one-shots? Your choice. This is up to you._

_Again, thanks for understanding. Did I tell you guys, I made it on the colorguard team? Yeah! I have dance camp all this week screaming in backround and flash of lightning so I'll be doing that. Okay, I'll try to update a few chapters tonight, but I have a bedtime now crys so I might not be able to put that much up. Oh wellz._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Garnet_


	30. Troubled Dreams

Ch. 39 _Dreaming of You_

Iggy's dreams were troubled.

He was falling, falling, falling fast.

He hit something, everything went fuzzy. Things appeared in black and white, images form the School. He shouldn't be able to see anymore. But these were form his past, embedded in his memory. There forever.

"_Raaagh!" Max growled, biting a whitecoat. "I hate you!"_

His flashbacks were short - this Iggy was grateful for. All he ever saw was the School. He never saw anything else. That was his only memory. The School. His nightmare, when nothing else comes to mind. Because he can only _touch_ now. And you can't exactly dream touch.

_A younger Fang backed into his cage. He was being agreeable today. He needed time for his bruise from yesterday to heal._

Iggy shifted and tried to groan. Somewhere else, far, far away, someone actually did groan. But it hadn't been him. Had it?

_Nudge's tears ran down her face silently. A whitecoat was bent over her, prodding her out of her cage._

"_Please, no!"_

"_Come with me."_

"_No!"_

Iggy felt a tear. But why was it on his arm?

He twitched. That couldn't be…blood, could it?

_Help! _He cried silently.

_Iggy…_ Angel's voice cried inside his head. _Don't let me die!_

He jerked an eye open. He moved a finger. Pretty soon, he lifted his arm.

_I won't let you die, Angel. I'm coming for you._


	31. Hugs and Misses

_Note: Read note at bottom, please._

Ch. 40 _Hugs and Misses_

I screamed. It didn't do anything but hurt my ears. Of course, had I been thinking correctly, I would have remembered that this was like a beacon for Erasers and other evil paraphernalia. But I wasn't. I had lost my flock. I possible had amnesia. And I didn't even know where I was.

"ANGEL!" I screamed anyway, "Someone! HELP!" Ugh, that was so stupid. Who's going to help me find a flying six-year-old-mind reading/controlling shapeshifter?

I flew up higher and circled. I spotted something far away, and I automatically tensed for battle.

"Gazzy!" His head turned toward me and an immense smile lit up his face.

"Max!"

It took a few seconds due to the large space between us, but we eventually came into a "Awww"-worthy hug, and I ruffled his hair.

"Max!" he mumbled into my shirt. "I was so scared!" But he pulled back quickly and added, "But not really."

I gave a tiny half smile and took one of his hands.

"It's okay, I'm scared too."

Tiny tears formed in his baby blue eyes, so identical to Angel's, but he held them back bravely.

"W-where's An-gel?" he said, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

I smoothed back his hair, wanting to tell him everything was going to be okay, and that Angel would be fine, and that nothing was wrong.

But I couldn't.

I just _couldn't._

I don't know, Gasser." I answered, taking his other hand. "But we're going to find her. _I'm_ going to find her, if it kills me."

* * *

_Note: I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for not updating. You have full permission to rant and vent all you want. Lead a protest against me. I have very poor reasons for not updating._

_But here is the thing. I'm (pretty sure that I'm) off tommorrow. I will try to update again. Like, a super update, to hopefully make up just a small portion of all that I've not done._

_I have to ask a favor. _

_I know, I know. _I _should be be doing _you_ favors. Which is true. I haven't updating in so long. But please, please, please do this for me._

_There's this story, right? And I think it's really good. I'm not sure it exactly is fanfiction, but if you squint you can relate it ever-so-fractionally to Maximum Ride. Sort of. That's beside the point. _

_It seems said person only has one (constant) reviewer...er, me. Will you please give this person a chance? Like, read her chapters and review, and if you like it, perhaps add her to Story Alert or something? You don't have to...but it would be really nice of you :) Thanks._

_www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net (slash) s (slash) 4202299 (slash) 1 (slash) Tears_

_Replace the (dot)s with . and the (slash)s with /._

_Thanks so much..._

_And I guess I'll make a deal..._

_If at least two of you review once each, I'll update another chapter...okay?_

_I should update tommorrow, unless a freak accident happens. Which is entirely possible. :)_

Garnet


	32. Murderer

_Note: As promised, another chapter!_

Ch. 41 _Murderer_

_Angel is southwest .4 miles. Go and get her._

It doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes I'm really thankful I have a Voice. Now was one of those times.

_Is she okay? _I asked tentatively. I just wanted the Voice to answer this question. This one eensy weensy little question. That wasn't much to ask was it? Silence….

_No._

I went into hyper mode immediately, then backpedaled, remembering Gazzy.

"Gazzy!" I shouted. "Stay here, I'll be right back!"

He nodded, and I returned to my blind panic.

_Why the sudden change of…whatever you call what a Voice has?_

It didn't answer. Typical.

Wind screamed in my ear, and I was there in less than a minute. Looking down, my heart leapt when I saw red. I landed faster than I should have, and ended up on my face.

"ANGEL!!" I screamed, tears already shamelessly pouring down my face. This couldn't be happening! I ran over to her crumpled form and checked her over before pulling her into a sitting position. Her eyes fluttered open, and I knew she had already lost too much blood. She was literally covered in it, only a portion of her once-blonde curls not a scarlet color.

"Angel!" I sobbed, already taking off my shirt to make bandages. Thankfully, I had put a tank top under my shirt yesterday morning. I immediately felt guilty about worrying about that sort of thing when my Angel was bleeding to death.

She looked so much worse than I'd ever seen her before, worse than after we saved her from the School. Bruises weren't just on her arms, they were on her legs, her face, and any other place you can think of. And the blood, oh, the _blood!_ It was just _everywhere!_

Angel's eyes opened to reveal creamy whites. Thoroughly creeped, I started working on her legs and chest, which seemed the most hurt.

Until I heard a twig snap behind me.

Unafraid, I quickly stood and shouted out "Who's there?"

No one answered.

Big mistake.

"I SAID WHO'S THERE!?" I screamed, and slammed my fist into a conveniently placed tree trunk. A shower of pine cones pelted me, and my whole hand had swelled red and started bleeding.

_Yes, because what we need here is _more_ bleeding._

I desperately wanted to hunt down whoever was there, but I couldn't just leave Angel. Staying here also posed a threat. Having nowhere to go, I sat back down and started working on Angel again. This time she opened her eyes, fully conscious.

"Max!" she whispered, spitting blood onto the ground. "You came for me!" My tears just came harder.

"Of course I did, Angel!" My tears got onto her shirt, and I quickly rubbed my eyes free of any wet substance. Her tiny hand held loosely onto mine, feeling feeble under my grip.

I gathered her into my shoulder, and that's when she started crying.

"I'm a murderer, Max! I killed them, I killed them! All of them! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" I pulled her to face me, and told her to calmly explain what happened. Angel, my baby, just cried more, and her tears mingled with the blood to make a slightly lighter shade.

"Angel, don't cry!" I pleaded, "Don't cry, sweetie, everything's fine now, we're gonna bring you to a hospital and you'll be okay!"

She became hysterical and I gently lowered her down.

"Angel," I soothed, sending her calming thoughts. She quieted quickly, taking in halted breaths.

"Max, I killed peo-" Angel started, but I cut her off.

"You have to promise not to cry again." I kept my mind carefully blank.

"Okay," she sniffled.

"Now, tell me what happened," I said, pushing a bit of hair out of her face. "Tell me everything."

_Note: Sorry for such the evil cliffie! :) Just wondering, does anyone like I Don't Love You, by My Chemical Romance? Just wondering... :D_


	33. Show Time

__

Note: Another update! I'm on a roll! :D

Ch. 42 _Show Time_

Fang _really_ didn't know where he was going.

He didn't even know what he was looking for before the hospital jolted abruptly into his view. He landed quickly in the back behind a dumpster, probably being spotted. Maybe the nurses wouldn't believe the patients' crazy stories and dismiss them for trauma. It was the most he could hope for.

Incoherent thoughts framed Fang's mind. Usually he was better in stressful situations. Usually, he had a flock for support, too. He shakily strolled as casually as he could down the flowery path to the front desk. He made an effort to slow his breathing and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans.

Show time.

"Hello," The middle aged woman at the desk looked up with a bored expression, and Fang instantly took her for a person unhappy with her job. That might make getting past her easier…and maybe not. Would she notice the unordinary more or less because of it?

Fang did his best to look "cute". If he reminded her of her children , perhaps she would be more understanding.

"Yes?" The woman's bright red hair circled unpleasantly around her head. It covered all but a corner of her nametag from view.

"I was wondering…" he hesitated and changed his plan abruptly. "Do you have any old medical coats I can use? I'm doing a science project on…the durability of different coat materials. My teacher suggested I come down here and ask."

The woman eyed him sharply. "I don't believe we are authorized to distribute those." She looked very disturbed that he had detained her Suduko game.

Fang bit his lip, something he would never do normally.

_Look cute and young, cute and young._

He widened his eyes a little.

"Could you please go ask the manager if he has an extra one?" This worked better than he had expected. She chuckled, and her hair shifted to reveal the name "Sandy".

"Hospitals don't have managers. I will go ask my supervisor, though." She stood and walked through the little door behind the desk. Two people still remained.

Fang suddenly doubted his plan. He'd never been one to think things through. What would happen if he actually _did _get the coat? Sneak in? How? Some sort of medicine storage would be sure to be close by, but he didn't know how to use any of it. His stomach sank. Iggy was going to die.

Unless….

"Gah!" Fang suddenly cried out, falling to the ground. The two receptionists rushed to his side, one carrying a walkie-talkie. He sighed mentally. Max was going to freak.

As soon as the inky-haired male got close enough, Fang jabbed out a fist, stunning him. He did the same, with the young brunette female, and twisted around to knock them both in the back of the head. They crumpled, unconscious, and Fang fled into the hospital hallways, already hearing frantic screams behind him.

_Note: Thanks to all of my reviewers! This chapter is dedicated to you!! You're pretty much the reason I got this far! Thank you!_

_I have to say, this was one of the most fun chapters to write. :) _

_I'll try to update soon, so as to not leave you on a cliffhanger, like before (oops!) :D_

_Thanks again!_

_Garnet_


	34. Drastic Measures

_Note: Another update! Yaaaay! _

Ch.43 _Drastic Measures_

His breathing kept in time with his footsteps as he sprinted down the hallway. Surprised medical personnel darted inside rooms, probably locking the doors behind them. A siren sounded, and Fang darted into a closet.

Max was going to kill him.

Glancing around quickly, Fang took in his surroundings. Boxes filled the shelves in the tiny room, making him claustrophobic. He pulled a box down and started pawing through it. He didn't get through the first layer of bubble wrap before a door slammed behind him.

Fang whipped around and searched for the source of the noise. A tiny blonde girl in a white coat had her back to him, fumbling with the lock of the door. She must have been trying to hide from the intruder. Little did she know he was inches away…

Another idea struck him, and he put it into action without pausing to consider the consequences.

Fang moved quickly, crossing the length of the closet in three long strides. He was silent – this would have to be quiet.

His hand curled quickly over the blonde girl's mouth. The scream was muffled, but still loud. Fang's other hand held her arms, so he backed up stiffly to the end of the small closet.

This was crazy. He was too afraid to give in now, though.

He bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Don't make a sound, or I'll shoot."

He didn't have a gun, of course, but he was hoping she was scared enough she wouldn't call his bluff.

Fang turned around, arms still restraining the young doctor, and slowly let go. She didn't move. He face was to the back wall now, and Fang was between her and the door. If she made a run for it, she'd be stopped before she made the second step.

"Don't move," he murmured, and spun around, searching the boxes again – this time for restraints. He came up quickly with a bundle of wire and some mini-towels. Fang tied her wrists and ankles and put her in a gag, just like he'd seen in the movies.

He debated how to hold her, an settled on throwing her over his shoulder.

Fang faced the door, readying himself. His mind was mostly blank with fear, not including the escape plan and one coherent thought.

Max was going to kill him.

* * *

_Note: I luffed this chapter about the same as teh last one :3_

_I guess I just really like making Fang be evil. LOL._

_Plus I liked making Fang use the evil voice evil movie characters have when they're threatening people! Creepily awesome! XD_

_Review! Please! Thanks :D _

_Garnet_


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